He Didn't Have To Be
by MissDevon
Summary: Mallet left town not because he couldn't be a father to Henry, but because he had to save his family, but when things go wrong can the Coopers along with old friends save the family or will it be a family member who destroys them? Coopercentric w/returns
1. Father to Father

As a long time viewer of GL I'm not buying Mallet's exit, so here's my take on it, using some history, bringing back a couple of characters, and making sense of his 'villainous' past, which never rang quite true to me.

_**He Didn't Have To Be**_

_**Prologue**_

August 15th, 2009

AC Mallet glared at the phone as he slammed it down into the headset. Few people could get him worked up, and lord knew that only one person in this world could do it quite this fast and this well. After nearly 17 years since he had last seen her and 14 since she had destroyed his first marriage she was back and destroying yet another.  
But he couldn't turn her away.  
There was many a person that the former Anthony Camiletti could turn his back on, but never her.

Truth was, if asked there were four, maybe five, people he would do anything---risk anything--- for. Marina, Henry, Frank, and her. Wasn't a long list and two of the three old enough to have his back he knew always would. But not her.  
It had been a long time since she had done anything but led him into trouble and despair.

Tiredly, he made his way up the stairs and looked in on his son.

_His_ son. Not Shayne Lewis's, for he had learned many years ago that being a parent did not mean that you were the one who lent your DNA to the child. Being a parent meant that you were the one there to raise it. To teach them right from wrong. It meant sacrificing what you wanted to make their life better, and wasn't that what he was once again going to have to do for her?

Lord knew their father had never done it for either of them.

"Damn it Julie, why the hell can't you ever learn? And why the hell did you have to drag me into it again? Especially now?" he muttered as he crossed the nursery and looked down at his little boy. Sadly, he gently ran a finger down Henry's cheek: "You are MY son, Henry, no matter what you will eventually be told. Whether I can make my way back to you and your Momma again; if she can find it in her heart to forgive me for the lies I'm going to have to tell her.  
But I can't leave you without a father.  
Now, I know your Grandfather will protect you with all that he has, but your mother is going to need more than just him if she is going to be able to keep you. And sooner or later the man whose blood you share will decide to fight for you just because he can," he continued softly. "If I can't be here because I have to take care of my blood, then I have to leave in away that will ensure your mother will get to keep you.  
Even if it means, she may never forgive me for it."

**September 8, 2009**

_Dear Frank,_

_If you are reading this--- well, I hope you're at least reading this and haven't thrown it in the garbage--- anyway--- something has gone terribly wrong.  
__I did not tell you everything when I left Springfield, partly to protect Marina and Henry and partly myself.  
__One thing I need you to believe is that I didn't repeat the past, Frank, not in the way you meant it. I wouldn't have done that to Marina._

_Truth is, I didn't do it to Harley either._

_I know… too late for confessions, but. . . So much is about to happen and I need Marina to be prepared in someway. _

_A young woman will be appearing on her doorstep in short order. Her name is Antonia Camilleti.  
And no, she is NOT my daughter.  
She is Julie's.  
__I don't know who her father is.  
__Julie never told me._

_There are a lot of things Julie hasn't told me over the years._

_She's not the same girl she once was._

_Somewhere along the way, my sweet, innocent little sister turned into someone I don't even recognize any more. Got involved with the people I tried to keep her from. It all backfired on me, Frank, and now I'm afraid it might backfire on Marina and Henry as well._

_I won't be there to keep them safe._

_To separate the lies--- covers I had to maintain to buy time and help Julie---- from the truth, and I fear that those facts could cost Marina Henry. I left Springfield to keep that from happening as much as to try to save my baby sister, only now I know it is too late._

_I don't deserve your help, Frank, but your daughter does._

_Whether you believe me or not, there are a few things left to do._

_Julie rarely took care of her daughter, often dropping her off with friends. Among those who know about her is David Grant. Before I left the country I made arrangements with him, left files, papers, all Marina might need to keep Henry should a fight arise. She'll know from who. David will also know who to get backup from._

_I know I have no right to ask, but, I would appreciate it if she also took Toni in.  
There's no one else._

_And, Frank, just one more thing.  
Tell her I will do al I can to come back to her and __**our**__ son, and if I can't, I'll be watching over them._

_Mallet_


	2. standing up to Shayne

Chapter 1

Frank stared down at the letter in his hand and then crumpled it up into a ball, his fist tightening around it, but there was no place to displace his anger, except maybe one of Company's wall's which he couldn't afford to fix.

From the other side of the restaurant, Blake took note of his tense form and handed the pot of coffee she was carrying around the restaurant over to Ashley before crossing to her old friend: "that's either another bank notice or you're planning on punching someone out," she quipped as she perched on the edge of the table Frank sat out.

"Can't. He's too far gone."

"Ahhh, letter from Mallet?" she wondered as she grabbed his fist and went about unclenching it.

"Blake. . ."

Blake rolled her eyes at his warning tone: "Puh-lease, I'm Roger Thorpe's much indulged daughter, do you really think that tone is going to work on me of all people?" she asked as she started to straighten out the paper.

"Guess not," Frank muttered as he ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair: "Doesn't mean I know what the hell I'm supposed to do with it, or how to get in touch with who he wants me to."

Frowning, Blake started to read the letter: "well, first, we're showing it to Marina."

"We're not doing anything, Blake."

"Then I will."

"Blake. . ."

"Give it a rest, Frank. Didn't work when we were partners, not working now," she told him as she jumped to her feet. "Besides, he clearly wants her to know what's going on."

"Then why write me and not her?" Frank wondered as Blake pulled his chair back from the table he was sitting at and pushed at his shoulders to get him to get up.

"Because you don't write this type of stuff in a letter to your wife, moron," she told him as she pulled him towards the door. "Besides, she apparently has some sense of what's going on, even if she doesn't know it.

He wants her protected, but he can't protect her if he's in danger himself," she pointed out quickly as she signaled to Daisy that they were leaving.

"So how the hell am I supposed to protect her?" Frank wondered. "You know I knew it was a bad idea letting my little girl marry him."

"Frank, my dad thought it was a bad idea 'letting' me marry Ross," Blake pointing out. "You really want to have a discussion on how dads don't let their little girl's marry guys?"

"He was her godfather for Pete's sake!" he pouted as he slammed the hood of Blake's car.

"And Ross was Ed's best friend. Who knows maybe if Ed had really been my father. . ." Blake commented as she unlocked the doors for them.

"You know that really isn't funny, right?" he commented as he slid into the car. "And seriously, how much trouble could Julie cause?"

Blake looked over at him as she sat behind the wheel of the car: "are you really serious? Let's see aborted wedding? Fascination with Hart that pretty much gave Dinah a run for her money there--- then there was that Spring Dance and her trying to sleep with you. . ." she started to list.

"You would have to bring those things up."

"Hey, you asked. Lucy ever forgive you for that deciding vote?" she wondered as she pulled away from the curb.

"You're not funny. This whole thing isn't funny."

"I know that Frank, but you going in there like gangbusters isn't going to help. We need some sort of plan of attack."

"Well, Mallet apparently had one. Too bad I don't know how to get in touch with David."

Blake laughed: "are you kidding me?"

"No. Haven't spoken to him in years. Why have you?"

"Well, duh! Who the hell do you think helped me get my PI license reinstated, or handles half my legal work?" she asked him as she shot him a sidelong look. "In the purse. Planner. And, yes, it would be under Grant," she told him then noticing his perplexed look added on a laugh: "my cell phone's in there too. . ."

* * *

Marina frowned as she watched Shayne with Henry. The more he was around the more uncomfortable she felt. It was like he was slowly trying to take over her family. She knew that he hadn't told any of the Lewises that Henry was his yet, but she had a feeling it had more to do with the uncertainty that still surrounded Edmund's demise.  
In fact she had to admit that she wouldn't be surprised if the man jumped back up from the grave. Hell, it wouldn't be the first time.  
But it was more than that.

She couldn't help but notice how pictures of Mallet were disappearing, especially the ones that included Henry. How the Yankees outfits that Mallet had picked out for their boy with such heart and even the Cubs ones meant to be a reminder of Gus were being replaced by teams Shayne preferred. How toys went missing. Tapes. At first she had thought she had just misplaced things, or that Mallet had taken one or two of them with him, but now she knew better.

"So, play date with him and Collin tomorrow?" Shayne was saying as he feed Henry from a warming plate he had brought him.

Marina sighed as she folded a blanket, one of Shayne's new purchases, "if we didn't already have plans that would be nice," she hedged.

"You have plans?" Shayne said, his voice bordering on accusing.

"Yeah. A mommy and me class. We always go," Marina told him.

"Well, then missing one shouldn't matter," he told her with a forced smile as he used a washcloth to wipe his son's face.

"It's paid for Shayne," Marina told him.

"It's not like. . ."

"I'm not taking your money," she cut him off. "Besides. Your mother could always bring Collin and join us."

"Marina, you're being unreasonable. . ."

"Am I, Shayne?" Marina asked, barely holding onto her temper. "His father. . ."

"Is standing right here."

"You know what I mean."

"Whatever."

"Look, there's been a lot of changes around here. His schedule has already been changed over and over again to accommodate Mallet's leaving and your coming and going with your great new work schedule. Henry needs some semblance of stability.  
That's ME.  
That also means that I get back to doing the things with him I normally did. Now I can't help it if you couldn't keep to your word.  
I can't help it if Mallet couldn't take knowing that the biological father would be in our lives on a constant basis, but I won't take the blame and I won't make my son pay for it."

"You _blame __**me**_ for him leaving, don't you?" Shayne asked surprised.

"Well maybe if you hadn't of been such a jackass when you first came back to town. . .' Marina sighed as she plucked her son out of his highchair and balanced him on her hip.

"Marina, I had been in Bosnia. I lost the love of my life. I was back in a wheelchair and that perfect husband of yours looked down his nose on me. You should have heard the stuff he said. . ."

"About your attitude?"

"About me being in the chair," Shayne shot back.

Marina laughed: "Shayne, just for your education, Mallet spent months in a wheelchair, its part of the reason we had to adopt. He got caught in an explosion while working on an investigation years ago. He also lost his hearing. But you know what, according to everyone I spoke to, he never treated people as badly as you did and if he did, he was at least man enough to apologize. Then. Not years later."

"You don't want to take me on, Marina…"

"Why? Because you'll try to take Henry from me? We both know you won't because Edmund might still be out there," she told him.

Shayne laughed: "No. Dinah killed him."

"Get out."

"You won't keep me from my son."

"Never said I would," Marina told him. "But I'm not that girl you dated, Shayne. I'm not some push over anymore. You want a fight, I'll give you one. You don't get to walk into my house and take over my life."

Shayne smirked: "you want to keep Henry you do what I want. The Coopers don't have the power that the Lewises do in this town."

"Maybe not, but we have each other."

"And you have an illegal adoption. Mallet shouldn't have gotten Dinah to help him."

"Get out Shayne. . .Just go. You can see Henry. I won't stop you. But it will be on my terms."

"Haven't you figured out? Your husband walked out. There's no one to stop me. . ."


	3. unexpected visitors

**Chapter 2**

Marina sat with her head in her hands as a knock sounded on the door of the house. Slowly exhaling she pushed to her feet and crossed the room: "Shayne, just because you're knocking doesn't mean I'm letting you in. . ." she started, a touch of hurt and anger in her voice only for her to stop short as she took in the teenager on her front stoop. "Ummm, can I help you?"

"You Marina?" the girl asked as she dropped the duffle bag she had been hauling across Springfield onto the ground.

"Yeah. . ." Marina said as she looked passed the girl and out into the empty area surrounding her home.

"Don't bother looking for anyone. I made my way here from the bus station on my own. Well, not the bus station actually. Tried to find the Dinner first but. . ."

"That burnt down years ago," Marina commented without thinking.

"Yeah, well I didn't get that memo."

Marina shook her head as she took in the dark haired girl with a slight frown. There was something familiar about her, but she couldn't put her finger on it: "look, is there something I can help you with?"

The girl laughed hollowly: "should've figured. Said he made arrangements. That it would be ok. That you knew. . . guess I should've known better."

Rubbing her forehead Marina took a step back: "an answer like that leads me to think of only one person. Mallet left town, but. . ." she started as she indicated the girl should come in.

"Yeah, dear old mom calls, Uncle Tony drops everything. One of these days the man's going to have to learn to say no to her before it gets him killed. . . umm, guess I shouldn't have said that… at least not to his wife," she said as she hoisted the bag and stepped into the house as Marina stared after her. "Anyway, plan always was that if I ended up getting sent here I was supposed to go to the dinner. . . or the police station. Look up some guy named Levy."

"He retired years ago," Marina informed her as she closed the door. "Which makes me think it wasn't AC's plan that has you here."

"If it were I probably could've talked him out of going after my mom," she told her as she took in the house and groaned: "you two have a kid?"

"Little boy. Henry. Why?"

"Just figures that mom's rein of destruction continues. Me, she drops off wherever she can. Usually not with Uncle Tony," the girl said as she collapsed onto the couch. "Not that he wouldn't have taken me in and raised me. I mean he raised my mom after all, but it would've given her less leverage with him. At least that's what I think.  
Me, I get dropped off at various friends.  
Just ditched one of the sitters at a funeral."

"Whose?" Marina wondered a touch of panic in her voice.

"Some cousin by marriage of hers--- the friend that is. The woman who died, Susan, well, she had had full blown AIDS for years. Was really nice. Mom wasn't keen on me spending too much time with her and her husband but they were cool. Taught me to write. . ." she said quickly then looked at Marina and shook her head. "Also taught me to read people. You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"I'm finding that I didn't know my husband as well as I thought I did. Especially if he walked out on me for some other woman and a kid who calls him 'Uncle' Tony," Marina quipped.

"Well, I call him Uncle Tony, because he is. My Uncle, that is. My mom, if you can call her that is Julie Camilleti. . ."

"Mallet's younger sister. I remember her vaguely from when I was a kid," Marina interrupted.

"Good, then can you answer a question for me, because everyone else was her age or there abouts when they knew her and they hem and hew when I ask."

"What?"

"Was she always a bitch intent on ruining her family's life?"

Marina shook her head at that: "On one condition, you tell me your name before I answer."

"Antonia. But everyone calls me Toni."

"Got a last name to go with that?"

"Other than Camiletti? You figure it out, you let me know."

Marina couldn't help but laugh slightly at that: "you got your mouth from your uncle."

"Among others."

"Look, I don't remember much about your mother, but yeah. She could be," Marina answered as she exhaled. "Mallet know you were heading here?"

"Mom shipped me off with the promise that he was getting her out of whatever mess she had gotten herself into this time. Whatever it was, it had to be bad. That much I know. She doesn't call him unless it's real bad. I had hoped I could get to him before he went off to play hero" Toni told her as she fought back a yawn.

"Look, you're tired. There are a couple of guest rooms upstairs. I'll bring you up to one."

"You sure?"

"You're family."

"But. . ."

Marina shook her head: "if things were that bad it explains a lot. And when your uncle shows back up here I think I just might let my father loose on him. . ."

* * *

David Grant shook his head as he listened to Frank on the other end of the line: "well, from what he told me I can't say I'm completely surprised… No. . .Frank its client privilege. . . well, I can tell Marina since he hired me to represent both of them. . . yeah, it did. . . Frank, Julie's been causing trouble for years and Mallet's been bailing her out of it. Hell, most of the old gang has been. . . . You really think with some of the jobs that he's had over the years he didn't have more money saved?. . . yeah. . .. No, he had papers drawn up for him and Marina to take custody if she pawned her off on anyone again. . . I have people working on it. . . Yeah, well I can be in town in a couple of hours. . .No, but I have a couple of ideas. . . Frank, that's up to Marina. . . just. . . just tell her that I recommend that she tells you. . .it's more than that, Frank, I recognize the number you're calling from… think she knows any of Roger's old contacts? . . . it just might be."

* * *

Mallet sagged against the cement wall, the pain of the beating radiating through his body. It was days like this that he really hated being a responsible citizen. Even more than that, he hated being a responsible big brother.

Closing his eyes against the pain, he tried to picture himself somewhere else.

Unfortunately, the only images that came to mind where the life he left behind for this little death mission.  
His wife bathing their son and singing the Greek lullaby her mother her taught her.  
Playing one on one with Frank in the park as they teased each other about being old men, and yet facing diaper duty.  
The business of Company of they all pitched in to help keep it running. . .

"Now, I know the great AC Mallet isn't planning on giving up," a voice in his head mocked.

"Why the hell not? You did?" he mentally answered as he shifted, his head turning and eyes slanting open to see the specter of Gus Arturo squatting down next to him.

"Yeah, well someone needed my heart," his former partner shrugged as he sat down next to him.

"A few more would've preferred to see it keep beating."

"Well, there's a woman back home that has yours, and a little boy who has you twisted around his little finger. Don't you think they deserve you back?"

Mallet coughed: "She'll move on. He has another father."

Gus laughed: "Don't try to fool a dead man, Mallet. YOU ARE his father. Calling Shayne Cooper Henry's father is like calling Alan mine."

"You two made your peace."

"You want that kid ruined?"

"I want Marina to have what she always wanted."

"She will. But you die she'll never forgive you and she'll chase you down in hell just to kill you herself."

"She would too."

"Get it together, Mallet. Next visitor won't be as nice as me."

"Oh, really?"

Gus rubbed the back of his head: "Nadine really pops a wallop for a dead woman."

Mallet groaned: "Should've known."

"You'll get out of this."

"Yeah. In a body bag," he muttered before drifting into unconsciousness.


End file.
